USB Socket for a Switch Board: Is It Worth It?

USB socket for switch board: the short answer

A USB socket for a switch board is a charger built into a module. It takes mains power at the board and gives a USB output, so a phone cable plugs straight into the wall with no adapter. It is worth fitting where you charge every day: beside the bed, at a study desk, or in the kitchen where adapters go missing.

It is not a replacement for a power socket. A USB charger module charges phones, earbuds and similar small devices; laptops and anything with its own power brick still need a normal socket beside it.

We make one-module USB chargers under KEMPS and VIZA, and spike guards with two USB ports under VIYONA, all at our Mumbai works. Every price below is the printed MRP from our current catalogue, and every rating is only what the catalogue states.

Our USB sockets and their prices

In KEMPS, the K207 USB charger socket is ₹750 in white and ₹850 in G.Grey (K607). In VIZA, the V305 USB charger, rated 240 V, 2 A, is ₹650, and the VIZA Black V1303 USB charger, also 2 A, in matt black or S.grey is ₹690. Each is a 1M module.

The modules fit their own range’s frame, so choose the one that matches the rest of the board. See every module on our KEMPS switches and sockets and VIZA switches and sockets pages.

What does 2 A mean for charging?

The 2 A on our VIZA USB chargers is the most current the charger’s output is rated to supply, which is enough for ordinary everyday charging of a phone, earbuds or a smartwatch; the catalogue does not describe it as a fast charger or give a wattage, so plan on standard-speed charging.

As a general rule, USB charging power is the voltage multiplied by the current, and fast charging works by the charger and phone agreeing on a higher level. A module rated 2 A at 240 V input with no fast-charging standard named is a convenience point: a charger that never gets lost or borrowed, rather than the quickest way to fill a battery.

That is the honest trade-off. A phone left on a bedside module overnight is full by morning. If you need a quick top-up before leaving the house, use the phone’s own fast charger in a normal socket beside the module.

USB-A vs USB-C: which port?

USB-A is the older, flat rectangular port and USB-C is the small oval one used by most new phones; USB-C can carry higher-power fast charging, but only when the charger behind it supports a fast-charging standard, so the shape of the port alone does not tell you how quickly a phone will charge.

USB-A needs an A-to-C cable for a newer phone; USB-C takes a C-to-C cable. Both are common in wall modules, and an older micro-USB device still charges from USB-A with its own cable.

Our catalogue lists our modules as USB chargers and does not state the port type, so check the port on the module at the dealer, and keep a cable to match.

USB socket board: module, new board or spike guard?

Choose a USB module in the existing board if it already has a neutral and a spare module, plan it into a new board if you are renovating, and use a spike guard with USB ports if the board has no neutral or the home is rented, because that option needs no wiring at all.

In short, a USB module in a modular board is the neat, permanent option. A new board with the module planned in suits a renovation, when the electrician can run a neutral to it. A spike guard with USB needs no wiring at all and moves with you.

For a finished home, check the board first. For a renovation, decide where the USB points go before the walls are closed; our guide to planning a home electrical layout puts them at the bedside and the study desk.

USB socket connection: how is it wired?

A USB socket is connected to both phase and neutral at the switch board, on the terminals marked on the module, because it is a small power supply that has to be powered all the time; a switch only breaks the phase wire, which is why many older boards have no neutral wire at all.

So the first question is not which module to buy but whether the board has a neutral. A board that already has a socket on it usually has phase, neutral and earth. A board with only switches often has phase only, and then a neutral has to be run from the distribution board or a nearby socket.

That is an electrician’s job, and a short one when the conduit has room. Ask before you buy the module, not after. If the board has a socket and a spare module, adding a USB charger is usually simple.

USB socket connection, step by step

For an electrician adding a module to an existing board, the order is the same every time:

1. MCB off 2. Prove it dead 3. Find phase and neutral 4. Connect to marked terminals 5. Clip in and test

Step 3 decides whether the job goes ahead: phase is taken from the board’s supply before any switch, so the charger stays live, and neutral from the socket’s neutral or a new run. Step 4 follows the marking on the module, not a colour guess. Step 5 is a phone plugged in with the MCB back on.

Where a USB socket is worth fitting

The best places are where phones are charged every day: the bedside board, a study desk, the kitchen counter and a living room seat. A USB module there takes an adapter out of a socket and frees that socket for something else.

It is less useful where nothing is charged, such as a hall or a bathroom board. On a bedside board it pairs well with a 2 way switch for the room light. Our switch board design ideas lay out each room.

A charging point also helps where adapters get lost or knocked out: children’s rooms, a guest room, and a dining area where phones are charged during meals. Count one USB module per regular charging spot rather than one per room.

Planning an office, clinic or shop rather than a home? Modular switches for office covers data, TV and USB points per desk.

Module space and plate size: a bedside board at MRP

A USB charger module is 1M, so count it when you size the plate. A KEMPS bedside board with a K102 10AX 2 way switch for the room light (₹105), a K192 6A socket (₹110) and a K207 USB charger (₹750) fills four modules, so it takes a 4M plate, the white K304 (₹160). That is ₹1,125 at MRP.

The USB module is two thirds of the board’s cost, so fit it where it will be used. On an existing board with no spare module, adding one usually means a larger plate and box. The plate size calculator works out the new size, and our switch board price guide prices whole boards.

A USB spike guard instead

If the board has no neutral, or you only need USB in one place for now, a spike guard with USB needs no wiring. Our VIYONA Classic ABS spike guard with two USB ports comes as 1×4 or 1×6 sockets on a 1.5 m, 3 m or 5 m cord.

See the spike guard with USB and our VIYONA spike guards. Choose the cord for the distance from the nearest wall socket to where the phones are charged.

Charging safely from a wall USB socket

A wall charger is only as safe as what is plugged into it. Use a good cable, replace one that is frayed or loose at the plug, and do not leave a phone charging under a pillow, where it cannot shed heat.

Buy modules from a known maker through a dealer, and check the code and rating on the box against the catalogue. Our guide to spotting a fake ISI mark shows what to look for on any electrical product.

On a board that gets hot around a USB module or a socket, stop using it. Heat on a board usually means a loose connection, and our article on a hot switch or sparking socket explains the warning signs.

Is a USB socket in a switch board worth it?

Yes for a bedside or desk board where phones are charged every day, because at ₹650 to ₹750 a module gives a permanent charging point and frees a socket; for a board with no neutral, or where fast charging matters, a normal socket with the phone’s own charger, or a USB spike guard, is the better buy.

Our verdict by board: bedside: yes study desk: yes kitchen: if phones charge there no neutral: spike guard bathroom: no.

If you are planning new boards, decide where the USB modules go before plastering, so the electrician runs a neutral to those boards. A USB module on a board also looks tidier than an adapter hanging from a socket. For a regulator on the same board, see fan regulator types.